Moe Johnson Running with Moe
Behind the scenes on putting together a 5K
In Oct. runners have the option of four races held in San Marcos. All four are with different organizations and most have experienced volunteers helping with making sure things go according to plan. I started putting races back in 1979 and most of the learning came from making mistakes and not knowing the details that needed to be done to make everything work. I finally wrote a booklet about what it takes to put on a race. I was looking over it and it needs a major upgrade on some topics. Entry fees and the cost of awards and race shirts have all increased. Advertising has gone from handing out flyers at other races to signing up online. Putting on a race is a good fundraiser for an organization and is a quick one morning effort from the club. A few members had to do most of the work about three months before the day of the race. When I started putting on races I tried to get someone to follow me around to learn what it takes to put on a race. A few stuck with me to the end leading up to and including the day of race. All of them commented that they did not realize the duties and things that need to be done to put on a race. It is quite an experience for a first time race director volunteer.
